I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 10

Clunk. Clunk.

“Haaah……”

I yawned widely in the swaying carriage.

It’s been three days since we left the forward base, heading north by carriage.

Because there were many injured (especially me), we moved slowly, and the schedule was behind.

“Boring……”

I grumbled and sank back into the carriage seat. Sitting all day made my back ache.

“Lucas! Are we there yet!”

“We’ll arrive soon, Your Highness! Please wait a little longer!”

When I shouted to Lucas, who was driving the carriage, I got the same answer I’d heard at least five times already.

He’s not a delivery guy, why does he always give the same answer?

“Ugh……”

I sighed and rolled around on the seat, then touched my neck when I heard a clinking sound.

There was a necklace.

I fumbled with my still-bandaged hand and took off the necklace, holding it in my hand.

It was more like a choker than a necklace. It was made of black leather with a metal ornament in the center.

‘The reward for clearing the tutorial stage.’

The reward box that appeared in my inventory after clearing Stage 0. This was what came out of it.

I wondered what the inventory was, but it turned out to be like an extra-dimensional pocket that appeared in the air.

I don’t know how I can put things in and take them out like some Doraemon [a popular Japanese manga and anime character with a magical pocket], but it’s a game world, so…….

[???’s Necklace]

– Function not yet unlocked.

– Usable after story progression.

I frowned as I examined the suspicious necklace.

Originally, there are no rewards for Stage 0. It’s an impossible place to clear.

But I cleared it, and when I opened the reward box, this came out. I don’t know what it’s for…….

‘Well, I’ll find out soon enough.’

I put the necklace back on. I had also gotten a burn on my neck during the last battle, but it was the least injured part, so it healed the fastest, but it left a scar. It was useful for covering it up.

‘Okay, this item is done, what about the others…….’

I opened my status window.

[Ash(EX)]

– Level: 5

– Title: The Third Prince, the Executioner

– Job: Beginner (Job selection is available!)

– Strength 2, Agility 3, Intelligence 5, Stamina 2, Magic Power 3

“Hmm……”

I groaned, looking at the ambiguously raised stats. It was too mixed to be a specialized character, and the stats were too low to be well-rounded.

The stat increases in this game are completely automatic.

They mainly increase based on the stats the character used in battle…… but sometimes, random stats can increase out of the blue.

‘My preference is a damage tank.’

A balanced character that can both attack and defend is a damage tank.

Since damage tank units have the highest survival rate in this game.

I was thinking of raising myself as a damage tank, but this is how it turned out.

Looking at the stats, it feels like a mage, but it’s also a mixed bag to call it a mage…….

‘And I haven’t even decided on a class yet.’

Because my job came out so weirdly, I haven’t decided on my character’s growth direction yet. I opened the job window.

Every character’s job is decided at level 5 (in the game, everyone starts above level 5), and additional job changes are possible every 15 levels after that.

First job change at level 20, second job change at level 35, final job change at level 50, and so on.

But I started the game at level 1, and now that I’m level 5, I can choose a job.

[Selectable Jobs]

– Beginner Knight

– Beginner Mage

– Beginner Priest

– Beginner Warrior

– Beginner ……

The list went on endlessly. All the jobs that exist in this game were visible.

So, what? Does this mean I can raise my character as I want? Is this a Wild Card?

If it was just this, I would have chosen a job that was suitable. The problem was at the end of the list.

[Selectable Jobs]

– Beginner Commander

A class I had never seen throughout the game was written there.

‘Commander?’

A special perk for the Hell Ironman achievement. So, what is it, a hidden class or something?

But just because it’s a perk or hidden doesn’t guarantee it’s good. It’s more likely to be a trap.

If I chose a job tree with no information, I could end up ruined.

So, if it was just this, I would ignore it and safely choose a job I know. The problem is.

[Skills]

– Passive: Indomitable Commander

– 1st Skill: ??? (Selectable after 1st job change)

– 2nd Skill: ??? (Selectable after 2nd job change)

– Ultimate Skill: ??? (Selectable after 3rd job change)

The problem is the skills!

The passive skill I got when I awakened in the last battle is called [Indomitable Commander]. Isn’t this telling me to go down the commander tree?

So, what kind of skill is this awakened skill?

[Indomitable Commander Lv.1]

– A skill born from a noble spirit that never gives up in any situation.

– Provides immunity to mental status ailments to all allies within a 10m radius.

It’s a good skill.

No, it’s an incredibly good skill.

From the mid-game onwards, the mage-type enemies in this game cast mental status magic all the time.

Confusion and fear are basic, and sometimes they even cast mind control.

If your magic power stat is high, you can ignore it, but low-stat characters have to struggle every turn.

Once, Lucas was mind-controlled and ended up killing all our allies, so I had to give up that playthrough and reset.

So, it’s almost a cheat skill from the mid-game onwards. Yes, it’s very good, but.

‘It’s…… not very useful in the early game…….’

In the early game, most of the enemies are single-celled monsters that just charge straight at you. There are hardly any enemies that cast mental status magic.

Of course, it’s good to keep your allies’ mental health fresh.

But when I compare it to Lucas’s [Man of Steel] passive skill, it’s a bit disappointing…… What I need right now is a skill that can help me survive.

“Ugh~ This is a headache.”

I was pulling my hair out, agonizing over which route to take for my future survival, when I heard Lucas’s voice.

“Your Highness, Crossroads is in sight!”

“Finally!”

I peeked out the carriage window. Let’s see.

On the horizon not too far away—there was a city surrounded by iron walls.

***

Crossroads.

That was the name of the fortress built at the southern end of the world.

This fortress was built to stop the monsters that endlessly poured out of the ‘Black Lake’ in the south.

It was once the largest fortress in the Empire, with iron-reinforced walls, a moat with holy water flowing through it, and cannons and ballistae densely packed. Tens of thousands of soldiers were stationed there.

However, in the last ten years or so, as the monster attacks gradually decreased, the Empire withdrew its troops and sent them to other fronts.

The world was always at war, and this was not the only front the Empire maintained.

Instead, the empty positions were filled with mercenaries.

Mercenaries were hired regardless of nationality or skill. To put it bluntly, what the Empire needed was meat shields to maintain this front.

Old veterans nearing retirement and inexperienced rookies who had been pushed out of the wars between humans flocked to the fortress.

As cheap lives gathered, restaurants, inns, and banks sprang up like mushrooms in the fortress.

After a dozen years, the fortress had become a city with a deformed, bloated body.

At some point, people stopped calling Crossroads a fortress. Instead, they called it this.

The monster front. The fortress city.

Or, as if mocking the moth-like mercenaries who were blinded by money and jumped into death, they also called it this.

The street of suicide. The city on the grave.

‘This is Crossroads.’

I opened my mouth slightly as I entered the city’s south gate in the carriage.

‘I didn’t realize it when I saw it on the game screen…… It’s bigger than I thought.’

In the game’s administrative mode, I only looked down at the city from above, and in the tower defense mode, I only ran around on the walls, so I didn’t really get a sense of its scale.

But seeing it with my own eyes as a real human, it was different.

‘And it’s more run-down than I thought!’

I frowned as I examined the dilapidated facilities.

The walls, which had withstood monster attacks for a long time, were tattered because they had not been properly repaired.

The moat was dried up, and the interior of the city, which had been repeatedly expanded and rebuilt haphazardly, was a mess with no proper zoning.

‘There are so many things to fix.’

This is the last line of defense for humanity.

And…… the place that will become my city.

‘Anyway, I’m going to be the lord of this city, right?’

I didn’t even have a house in my name on Earth. I never thought my dream of owning a home would come true so suddenly.

Even though I was in a bad situation where I had fallen into another world and was risking my life, I was honestly not in a bad mood.

The carriage procession entered the city along the main street.

The citizens came out to the main street to watch the procession. The faces of the onlookers were not bright at all.

It was understandable. The new lord and commander had recklessly thrown his troops into battle and barely managed to return alive.

But the sullen faces of the people soon changed to surprise.

It was because of a supply wagon that was following right behind my carriage at the front.

“Hey, that…….”

“Is that all magic stones?”

I listened to the murmuring of the citizens and felt that things were going according to plan.

What was conspicuously loaded on the back of the wagon were hundreds of black spider magic stones.

In this world of magical civilization, magic stones are like oil.

Magic stones, which can be harvested from the bodies of monsters, are the biggest strategic resource produced in this city.

It was also the biggest reason why this front could be maintained, even at the cost of countless lives.

However, as the activity of monsters has decreased recently, the amount of magic stones harvested has naturally decreased. The city’s income was also shrinking.

But I had defeated the Black Spider Army and recovered almost 400 magic stones.

They were level 55 to 60 monsters, so the magic stones were of a very high purity.

Even roughly estimated, they were incredibly expensive. Enough to not worry about the budget for a while.

‘If I broke a stage that was made to not be broken, I should get this much reward.’

The citizens’ trust in me is currently below rock bottom.

The situation was the same in the game. At the start of the game, the citizens don’t trust the player, and their favorability is at rock bottom.

But after three years of operation, the citizens come to trust and follow the player like a father.

In the end, there is only one way to turn their hearts around.

Spread the money.

Reasonably and clearly.

As I was calculating how to use the money from selling these magic stones, the carriage arrived at the lord’s mansion.

“We have arrived, Your Highness.”

Lucas, who had gotten out of the driver’s seat, opened the carriage door. I slowly got out of the carriage.

The lord’s mansion of Crossroads.

The mansion, built of red bricks and marble, was quite old but had a classic charm. It was also quite large.

‘It’s nothing compared to the studio apartment I used to live in.’

I was admiring it when.

“Oh my, oh my, Lord!”

A man roughly opened the mansion door and rushed towards me.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, Lord!”

He was a young man with shaggy gray hair and high-prescription glasses.

The man, who had run up to me and was jumping up and down, gasped and corrected my title.

“No, no, I shouldn’t call you Lord. Please forgive me, Your Highness, Prince!”

“You can call me Lord.”

I chuckled and patted the gray-haired young man. Then, the young man grabbed my bandaged hand and wailed.

“This humble servant was worried that even a scratch might appear on your noble body, Lord!”

This guy, who reeked of a sycophant, was named Aider.

In the game, he was the city management NPC, and almost all of Crossroads’ administrative tasks were handled through him.

From facility construction to troop additions and minor system management…….

It would probably be the same here. I would be handling the city management tasks with him.

“Please come in! I’ve prepared a warm bath, and dinner is ready! Please rest well today!”

I was actually quite tired from the journey, so I was planning to rest today.

Following Aider’s guidance, I entered the mansion and turned to look at Lucas and nodded.

“Let all the soldiers rest. Lucas, you should also rest today without thinking about anything.”

“But, Your Highness’s escort…….”

“That’s enough for today. Rest well and start tomorrow.”

Lucas reluctantly accepted.

“I understand, Your Highness.”

Lucas bowed to me and walked towards his room. Lucas’s room seemed to be on the first floor.

Aider guided me to my room on the second floor.

“This way, Lord! Once you soak in the hot water, the fatigue of the journey and the stench of battle will be completely gone~”

“Okay, okay, I’ll leave it to you.”

I followed Aider’s guidance and entered the bathroom attached to my room.

The wide bathtub was filled with warm water and smelled nice.

How long has it been since I had a bath? I wanted to wash up quickly. I awkwardly unbuttoned my top with my bandaged hand.

But,

“By the way, you were really amazing, ‘Classic Otaku’ [a term for someone obsessed with anime, manga, and video games].”

I stopped trying to take off my clothes at the voice from behind.

“I never imagined you would clear the tutorial in such a way, you know.”

“You……?”

Startled, I turned around.

Click.

Aider, who had closed the door to the room and then the door to the bathroom, smiled brightly.

“Why hide it? That’s right! I am the director of , Aider~”